Archive for September 2012

Back when we first started planning our trip to England, I wasn’t working. By the time the trip came around, I was employed, and things were busy. Not only was I new to the job, but the last couple of months are the busiest time of year, and then because of certain organizational changes, and certain people visiting, things were even busier. There wasn’t time to think in those last few days, let alone pack, prepare the kids, and prepare the office. Which means it was perfect timing for things to go horribly wrong.

In the week leading up to our departure, Cubby was ill, followed by myself and Spectrummy Daddy in quick succession. We all recovered, and were feeling well by Friday, the day of departure. I hadn’t been in the office for long when the call came from Pudding’s school that she was ill. I raced out to get her, and out to the doctor. She was feverish, and looked miserable, which was just how I felt.

Pudding was much more defensive than she usually is with the GP- a sure sign that she was ill. With much patience and coaxing, the doctor managed to assess her, and promptly diagnosed Tonsilitis and a chest infection. I must have looked how I felt, because the doctor told me she’d give Pudding some medicine, and she’d be fine to travel. Really? Yes, because I was her patient too, and she knows how much I needed to get away. Pudding could be treated, and would soon be back to full health.

I asked our Regional Medical Officer for a second opinion, and he concurred. The trip was still on, we just had to get the medication inside her.

That was easier written than done.

Pudding refused all medications, both tablet and syrup forms. We tried mixing it into drinks, we tried bribing her, she refused. She was not going to take that medicine! And I wasn’t, I mean I just wasn’t going to put her through that flight without medication. I couldn’t. I didn’t voice it out loud, but I mentally prepared myself for not boarding. Time ticked on, and we were sent to the gate, still without Pudding taking her medicine.

And then I saw it….a Hello Kitty fan!

Now, Hello Kitty is the tops for Pudding in terms of special interests. But fans are the most stimtastic things for Pudding. She learned at just a few weeks old that if she screamed if the fan was turned off, we’d turn it back on for her. I remember Pudding not engaging in most of the assessments during her evaluation because there was a fan in the room, and she just had to keep telling us about it, and staring at it, and spinning like it. Fans? Fans are big. Hello Kitty fans? Colossal. I instructed Spectrummy Daddy to furtively buy one.

And moments before boarding, I showed it to her. She could have it, but she had to take the medicine. And this time, no fuss, no fight. She took it all. Her temperature started to drop immediately. And for the first time that long day, she was all smiles.

As we passed through the entrance to board the plane, one of the ground staff asked Pudding if it was her magic wand. And of course, Pudding corrected her that it was a Hello Kitty fan. She was right, but it was my magic wand. And to England we did go by the grace of that Hello Kitty fan. We ended up losing it a week or so later in some motorway services in the north of England with some other Kitty paraphernalia.

I like to think that some magic rubbed off to whoever was lucky enough to hold it next. Because in spite of that truly turbulent start, the rest of the flight was smooth…and Pudding recovered quickly, and well, I’ll tell you some of the rest of our magical adventures another time.

Our family rode this ancient big wheel on the pier. It was rusty, creaky, and of course, we got stuck at the top. You can fret your way around, or just sit back and enjoy the ride. We like feeling the wind in our hair.

One of the benefits to living in (cue ominous music…) The Most Dangerous City in The World, is that the State Department grants us two R&R trips during our – assignment there. Now, you know that we love Johannesburg, and what we have seen of the rest of South Africa. But it is equally true that we need that break. Back when we initially started planning that trip, we really needed it.

Then seasons change, and life alters, and you kind of get on with things. Pudding has just started Kindergarten, and is doing very well. I’ve only been working for a few weeks, and it isn’t the best time for me to be out of the office. I adore Jozi in springtime. The weaver birds are back, the weather is perfect, and it just feels lighter and happier there.

It reminds me of the early weeks when we first arrived, and just couldn’t believe our luck. And then when, inevitably, the trip started to look like more hassle than a break, I wondered what kind of R&R it would actually turn out to be.

And then we actually arrived in England for the first time in almost four years, and it was all worthwhile. It was Cubby’s first time here (outside of the womb) and he revelled in seeing double-decker buses and black cabs in London. Both kids delighted in spending time by the sea- not the ocean. And the kids got to meet their cousins, and spend time getting spoilt by their grandparents, and living, and playing, and being themselves.

We are having the time of our lives. Or a time in our lives. A time of many R-words. We’re recharging, and reconnecting. I’d even go so far as to say we’re resting and relaxing. I knew we needed it, but I didn’t know how much. I’ve taken lots of photographs here, and in almost every one, the kids are smiling.

Who knows, the kids might even start feeling so comfortable with their grandparents that we’ll even be able to have another elusive R-word: a few hours of respite. Because just as we love Johannesburg, but need the occasional break…the same can be said of parenting high-needs children.

And if we can successfully Recharge and Reconnect, we’ll be Ready to go back to Routine. And nothing to do but plan the next Rest and Relaxation, and make sure we don’t wait for four years next time!

This post is part of my A-Z series. You can read the rest by clicking >here<.